


A Fairytale

by justbygrace



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fairy Tale Retellings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 04:43:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9531950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: Beauty & The Beast AU





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was written several moons ago for a dear reader who was having a bad day.

Once upon a time, far, far away in a country oh so different than this one, lived a young lady named Rose. She was rather plain as beauty standards go, all hips and too-wide mouth, but she had a good heart and was well loved by everyone she came across. She resided in a small village on the edge of a dangerous forest full of all sorts of magical creatures. Her father had died in a logging accident when she was quite small and her mother did the best she could to raise her daughter on her own. Things were not always easy for them, but they had each other and loved one another dearly. 

In the very center of the dangerous forest was a castle that had once been magnificent, but had fallen into disrepair. The rumor was that the castle was under a curse because of its master's unwillingness to think of anyone other than himself. No one had set foot inside the ornate gates for an age and a half, and most folks went well out of their way to avoid the whole area. Any unfortunate soul who got off the trail and ended up near the castle's grounds claimed to see a terrible form lurking in the windows, and when the wind blew right, ghostly howls could be heard emanating from the direction of the enchanted castle.

Now Rose was at an age where all young unmarried females were expected to be married or, at least, promised to an eligible man. She wasn't the slightest bit interested in anyone in her little village, spending her time reading and dreaming of far off places and adventures. However, because of her kind nature, she had gained the attention of all of the young men in the village who all sought to catch her eye with feats of strength or courage. Rose rarely had time to pay them any mind - she was too caught up in helping her mother run their little shop or in reading or writing about epic adventures. 

There was one young man in the village who was not used to being turned down. His name was Adam and he was particularly vain, hardly able to pass up a mirror or a bit of water or a window display without stopping to check his appearance. All of the young women (and a few of the young men) swooned when he came near because he was strong of jaw and his waist to shoulder ratio was much discussed. He had set his eye on Rose and refused to be dissuaded, despite being rejected by the woman in question multiple times. 

One day, Rose's mother set out on a trip through the dangerous forest to deliver some wares to the next village. Rose was worried and wanted to accompany her or to go in her stead, but her mother was adamant that it was but a jaunt and she would return the following day. Yet the next day came and went and she had not yet returned. Rose grew anxious and when the family pony returned alone, she mounted up and rode off in search of her mother. The pony led her straight to the gates of the derelict castle. 

Rose was nervous, but she knew her steed would not take her somewhere her mother was not and so she dismounted and cautiously opened the gates. At first glance the castle appeared to be a typical rundown mansion that had once been glorious. There was a light on in the uppermost turret and so Rose crept in through the front door and up the staircase, winding higher and higher until at last she came through into a ruined room. There she spotted her mother locked in a closet, but able to peek through some bars.

Her mother hurriedly cautioned her to leave the castle, but it was too late. A form crept in the shadows, his voice bellowing that the woman was his prisoner and that Rose needed to leave. Refusing to abandon her mother to such a fate, Rose offered her life in exchange for her mother's. The form hesitated and then agreed, magically releasing the bars that held her mother captive. Before Rose could say goodbye, the form threw her from the room and had her escorted away by creatures that Rose could not see. 

Rose was heartbroken and demanded that the form come into the light where she could look upon her jailer. Hesitantly it did, revealing it to be a horribly disfigured man, badly scarred and with a crooked back. Rose was frightened at first, cowering away and hiding her face. The man laughed hollowly and then told Rose to follow him to her bedroom - unless she wanted to stay in the tower. Rose did not and so she followed the man down the stairs to an ornate bedroom where the man left her with firm instructions not to explore the north wing of the castle.

Once she was alone, Rose threw herself on the bed and wept into the pillow for a few moments before drying her tears and sitting up. She was attempting to come up with a plan of action when a disembodied voice spoke soothingly to her. Rose was frightened at first, but she gradually grew to understand that the castle was under a curse of some kind - the voice was unclear on that point - and it had turned all of the servants invisible. In the midst of Rose trying to ascertain more information, the man returned, shouting that she must come to dine with him. Rose refused, stating that she was not hungry. The man did not take this well and there was the sound of much shattering of glass before the noise died away and one of the voices informed her that the man was gone.

Rose dined alone in her room that night on food borne in by invisible hands, a sight that would have much entertained her if she hadn't been so tired and upset. She did not sleep well that night, but instead laid awake to determine how she ought to handle this situation. At length she determined that she would make the best of it and wait for an opportunity to escape. The next day she spent exploring the castle, poking her nose everywhere that she could. At the base of the stairs to the north wing Rose paused and then started up, ignoring the voices who begged her not to do this thing. 

The north wing was a series of increasingly destroyed rooms and Rose wandered through them wondering what had forced the man into the rage that resulted in such devastation. At last she reached a room that was bare except for a table with a single red rose upon it. As she reached out to touch it, there was scream of rage from behind her and she turned to see the man standing there, a look of absolute fury on his face. He advanced on her, shouting and clenching his fists, and Rose fled the room. 

She had no thought in her mind except to escape and she ran through the north wing and down the stairs. A side door was standing open and she ran through it, straight into the dangerous forest. It was nearly sunset by this time and she was on foot. She knew her situation was dire, but she hoped to make it to shelter before the beasts came out to attack. Unfortunately the scent of her fear alerted them that she would be an easy target and she was soon surrounded by a horde of snarling wolves. They advanced on her, growling and snapping, and she fended them off with a large stick as best as she could. It was a losing battle and she knew it, but at the last possible moment the man from the castle appeared next to her. He was strong, and quicker on his feet than he looked. He attacked the feral creatures with a club and a strange blue stick and drove them away, but not before suffering deep scratches and bites to his arms.

He was losing a lot of blood, but Rose was able to wrap his arms around her neck and together they stumbled back to the castle. Bandages and ointment appeared from the invisible servants and Rose forced the man to sit while she cleaned and wrapped his wounds. He was gruff with her while she worked, but he was thankful for her help and apologized for scaring her earlier (with some prodding from her and some of his servants). She asked his name and he told her that it was the Doctor because his name had been taken from him when the curse had been set. When his wounds were taken care of, he asked her to come with him and he led her to a magnificent library with floor-to-ceiling books, telling her it was all for her to enjoy whenever she wanted.

After that evening, Rose and the Doctor spent their days together. Sometimes they sat in the Library and read (to each other or to themselves). Sometimes they went on walks in the woods where Rose insisted they have picnics in picturesque spots. In the evenings, the Doctor would take Rose up to the tallest tower and tell her stories about the stars. He could still be brusque sometimes and occasionally had fits of temper, but Rose understood they were not directed towards her. So she soothed him when he became upset, held his hand when he paced, and listened patiently when he growled. Gradually they grew to be great friends, sharing nearly every waking moment together.

One evening when Rose had been at the castle for about six months, the Doctor told her about a mirror he had that could show her anyone that she wanted to see. She asked to see her mother and when she looked into it, she saw that her mother was lying in bed, very ill. Rose immediately begged to be allowed to go and tend to her mother. The Doctor was upset, but agreed that she might go. She threw her arms around him in joy and kissed his cheek before running from the room. The invisible servants provided her with a horse (thankfully visible) and Rose rode hastily back to the village.

There she found her mother was indeed very ill, but when she saw that Rose was alive and unharmed it put a great deal of life back into her and she began to get better. Every day she would beg Rose not to return to the castle and Rose promised that she would not until her mother was completely well. Meanwhile Adam discovered that Rose had returned to the village and he began to make daily visits to her home. Rose was even less interested in him after having spent time away and told him so. One day after Adam had visited, her mother begged Rose to reconsider, claiming that Adam would be a good partner. Rose told her blatantly absolutely not and that she was planning to go back to the castle to be with the Doctor in a few days time since her mother was a lot more healthy than she was letting on.

Now Adam had been listening outside the door, and when he heard about this Doctor he grew very angry and devised a plan. He used his considerable power and influence to spread a rumor that the Doctor was an evil mastermind who was keen on stealing away the young women and children. The men of the village were much alarmed, and after several rounds of drinks they took up pitchforks and torches and went marching into the dangerous forest to lay waste to the castle and the Doctor.

Word came to Rose of what was occurring and she took her pony and set off at a brisk pace for the castle, hoping that she could get there in time to save her Doctor. When she arrived she discovered that the servants (given their element of invisible surprise) had bested the townspeople and sent them scurrying away. She saw Adam and the Doctor dueling on the roof and she quickly ran that way. Before she could arrive, Adam dealt a hard blow to the Doctor and he was smitten to the ground. Rose was furious and she charged at Adam, shoving him aside, and he fled from that place, never to be seen again.

Rose fell to the ground beside the Doctor, cradling his head in her lap. She could not find a pulse and she wept, knowing that she had been to late to save him. Bending her face, she kissed his cheeks, whispering that she loved him and he could not leave her now. There were footsteps around them, and she knew that the servants had come to mourn the Doctor. Before they could lift him up, a bright light suffused his body, spilling out his very skin and pouring out of his fingers and toes and head. The light was blazing, but Rose could see that it was changing him. His hair lengthened, his body became taller and thinner, and then the light was gone. 

She stared at the man lying where her Doctor had been, scarcely able to understand what had occurred. The new man opened his eyes and immediately focused on her, coming close to her and asking in a whisper if she recognized him. Rose hardly knew what he was asking, but she gazed into his eyes and saw that even though the color was different, the light was the same, and she knew that he was the Doctor. He explained that he and his had been put under a curse because he had been cruel and unfeeling his youth. The curse had been set only to expire if he was able to find someone who loved him and whom he loved in return. 

As she stared at him, Rose knew that who he was on the inside had not changed and that she still loved him. She drew nearer to him and clasped his hand, promising him that her feelings had not changed and she still wanted to be with him. He embraced her and kissed her gently, a promise of things to come. And they lived happily ever after.


End file.
